Robert Pattinson dishes: 'Breaking Dawn' scenes

Lions and tigers and bears! (Cue the 'Oh my!') Those are real animals, not CGI, in Robert Pattinson's new circus flick Water for Elephants, co-starring Reese Witherspoon (it's out April 22). But with all those carnivores prowling around the 1930s-themed set, you'll never believe which animal Pattinson feared most.

The horses.

Scarier than having to throw meat into a lion's cage? "I had to get knocked down by a horse. That was terrifying," Patz tells USA TODAY's Andrea Mandell. "It was just one split second but (it was) a fully grown stallion...I'm kind of relatively scared of horses as well. I'm just glad I didn't have to ride any of them. I'm not particularly good at horse riding."

On a short break from shooting Breaking Dawn in Vancouver, he also offered up some Edward Cullen-style gossip. The main story line is "so far outside of the box," he says."It's really different from the other ones. There are some days on set just watching you go 'How is this going to be PG-13?'" he said with a laugh. "It's like totally ridiculous."

Haven't read Twilight's fourth novel? Read no further.

Pattinson confirms he and Stewart have filmed the birth scene, and with a laugh, says the shooting was "kind of hilarious."

He explains: "She has to have this pregnant suit on all the time, that was probably more annoying for her," he said. That's not the only change you'll see in Bella.

"I can't give too much away but there's some bits, especially towards the end of the movie, she's just like the polar opposite of any of the other (films)," he says. "I mean, she's a different person, which is cool. She looks completely different. She looks probably the most convincing vampire out of all of us."

Meaning what, exactly? "A lot of us look like we're just from Mars," said Pattinson. "She's kind of the smallest one, but she suits being a vampire."

Next up: Breaking Dawn's wedding shoot, scheduled for April. "That's a hard scene too," he told us. Not to mention the flood of paparazzi who will try to get a shot of Bella and Edward headed down the aisle. "It's been OK in Vancouver in terms of people showing up and trying to get stuff," says Rob. "I have a feeling the wedding is going to be the one with (paparazzi) parasailing in." Talk about a money shot.

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About Ann Oldenburg

Ann has worn out many stilettos chasing celebs for USA TODAY. She's covered the Oscars, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, and has interviewed stars ranging from Tom Cruise to Rosie O'Donnell. Ann knows entertainment news is best served as a hot dish to friends and she's hoping you'll dig right in. More about Ann